Past, Present, Future
by Phoebe Noir
Summary: A collection of drabbles revolving around Aqua and Terra.
1. What will be

**Writer's Corner: **This is my first time writing a Terra x Aqua fanfiction. So I do hope you enjoy! I know that in actual canon it's Aqua who becomes the keyblade master but….it's fanfiction for a reason. xD A big shout out to my beta reader Tsume! Thanks hun!

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ρ α ş τ — ρ ѓ ε ş ε η т — ғ υ т υ ѓ ε

_a Terra/Aqua collection_

by

_P h o e b e N o i r_

٭۞

They were always friends, from the moment they entered the academy and were sorted into their classes...sort of. When they first met, they didn't pay attention to one another. Aqua hung around with the few girls that were there, whereas Terra was off in a corner isolating himself from everyone else.

The first time they actually spoke to one another was in the middle of a sparring session, when they were picked by the teacher to fight one another. It was a way to get the girls and the boys talking to one another. What was supposed to be a learning exercise turned into a battle of the sexes. The boys cheered for the brown-haired youth and the girls for their blue-haired companion.

Their wooden swords (they were far too young and inexperienced to practice with real weapons) clashed against one another. Beads of sweat gathered around their foreheads. Their swords locked, with each fighter trying to break the other's stance. The wood began to groan until the 'blades' were broken, but that didn't stop either of them. They tossed aside their broken weapons to finish the 'battle'.

"You're going down!"

"Right after you, sweet heart!"

Aqua pulled on Terra's hair, which was much longer than hers, where Terra headbutted Aqua. They continued to fight against one another with their fists until they were pried apart.

Both children were panting. Their knuckles were red from hitting bone and flesh. Aqua's lower lip was bruised, but in her hands she had a chunk of brown hair—a trophy of sorts that made the lip bruise all worth it. Terra made off with a black eye and a bruised shin.

Their eyes were locked on one another, still sizing the other up. That is until Aqua's death glare gave way to a softer look and she flashed him a small smile. Though she was in pain from that punch to the mouth, she still was able to admit Terra was a good fighter.

Terra was taken back by the smile but realized the meaning behind it. He nodded his head slightly, acknowledging that she was a decent fighter herself.

A week later, after their injuries were fully healed, they met again on the sparring field in the dead of night. They didn't introduce themselves to the other. They merely took their stances with their wooden weapons and lunged for each other. Their actions and hits would speak far louder than any words could.

Over time they developed a close bond well into their teen years.

At lunch Aqua would quietly make her way over to Terra's spot and sit down next to him. Occasionally they would talk about who they thought was improving in their class, but mostly they sat in silence, merely enjoying the other's company with Aqua offering Terra bits and pieces of her lunch.

There were times when Terra would slow his pace down long enough for Aqua to catch up with him as they walked to class or he would stop in the middle of a spar to fix Aqua's stance. The times he purposefully sought Aqua out was when he felt something wrong with his best friend.

There was one day, after a long and boring lecture from one of their teachers, he saw her quickly exit class. He kept his cool composure as he gathered his belongings and left. He waited outside the girl's bathroom, knowing Aqua had gone there. Though it took more than an hour for the blue-haired girl to come out, he didn't complain.

He clenched his fists when he saw her emerge from the bathroom with red, puffy eyes. His eyes sought hers, silently asking her what happened. Aqua said nothing as she threw her arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug. At first Terra was stunned, but he gradually came out from his stupor to wrap his arms around her, comforting her as best he could.

Seeing Aqua cry made his heart ache. He felt helpless to stop the tears rolling down her face. Eventually she stopped crying; she put on a brave smile and told him that it was no big deal. Terra didn't press on, knowing she would tell him in time what happened.

They were always there for one another, through the good times and the horrible ones. They continued to push one another to excel, to be the best so they could obtain the title of Master. They were so close to their dreams until they learned only _one_ of them would advance. They looked at one another. Their eyes told the other it would be a challenge, but in that same look they cheered for each other.

The night before the exam, they went to the old sparring ring where they first met.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" Aqua asked as she sat down on the grass, looking up at the twinkling stars in the sky.

"No. You?" Terra replied, opting to stay standing. His eyes looked over to the spot where they used to fight. He replayed the many battles the two had had. Those days of sparring late into the night seemed so far away now.

"A little...but, promise not to go easy on me tomorrow?" Aqua teased. Terra only scoffed and offered a hand to help her get back up.

She placed her hand in his, finding comfort in his touch as he yanked her up to her feet before releasing her hand. The two walked back to their rooms in perfect silence with their hands occasionally brushing against the other.

When morning came, they readied themselves for the final exam. They met each other on the battlefield, ignoring the crowd that had gathered. They locked eyes and got into their stances before their master told them to begin.

Neither Terra or Aqua moved for the first few moments. They were sizing up their opponent, trying to guess their first move.

Aqua was the first the break the silence, calling out, "Blizzaga!" She sent a wave of ice crystals at Terra as she jumped back. Terra charged ahead, casting Aeroga. Wind surrounded his body, flinging off the ice shards. He lunged at Aqua and there their dance began. Their keyblades clashed against each other with a resonating sound. It was a familiar tune both knew so well.

Like all dances, theirs came to an end—with Aqua on the ground and her keyblade a few feet away from her. There was a scratch on her cheek as she looked up with narrowed eyes at Terra. His keyblade was in front of her, but she didn't care. She still held her head high, challenging him to finish the battle. Instead he drew his weapon back and walked up to her, offering his hand.

Aqua took his hand in hers and like the night before he pulled her to her feet. As he looked into her eyes there was no hate or jealousy. Her eyes had softened to show pride and joy. She was happy for him.

"Don't get cocky now, Master Terra," she teased with a smile on his face.

"I can't make any promises," he shot right back, his own intense stare giving way to a softer one.

"Ha ha. Now go on and claim your prize. You earned it."

Terra looked over to their master waiting in the stands for a moment before glancing down at his friend. Without saying another word, he lowered his head to kiss her.

He was only following orders.

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**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Ideas

**Writer's Corner: **I'm happy so many people like the story so here's an update! Thanks for the reviews and another big shout out to Tsume for beta-reading!

٭۞

ρ α ş τ — ρ ѓ ε ş ε η т — ғ υ т υ ѓ ε

_a Terra/Aqua collection_

by

_P h o e b e N o i r_

٭۞

_S t a g e 2_

"ϊ đ ε α ş"

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"So...did it work?" Ven asked, looking over at Terra, who was slumped almost double.

Both boys were sitting on the edge of the dock, letting legs dangle over the edge above the surface of the water. The sun was setting, casting multi-colored beams of light across the sky. Dark blues and purples shone on the crystal water. The stars were starting to come out, but Ven didn't notice. He was too busy worrying over his friend, who looked like he might roll into the ocean.

"No," Terra muttered under his breath, clenching his fist as he bowed his head more.

Ven patiently waited for Terra to continue, but as usual he had to prompt him. "...Okay, why?" Terra's response was an exasperated sigh.

Over the past week, Terra had been trying to get Aqua to go out with him. Not go out as _friends_, but as each other's dates. However, every time he tried, Aqua seemed to misunderstand.

When he suggested they go have lunch, she brought her books and invited Ven to come along. When he suggested they meet up at the sparring field to do something, she showed up with four people behind her. She was under the impression they were going to have a practice session, so she invited more people to observe.

"So we can all practice. It's great, since we'll be tested on enemy ambushes soon," she told him, with that smile that made it hard to be upset with her... but not so much with everyone else. After that session, the rest of the poor freshmen went back to their rooms with sore ribs, cuts, and singed clothing.

Finally, at his wit's end, Terra went to Ven for advice. Terra had taken his advice and applied it earlier that day. Now Ven was waiting for the results.

"...She's allergic," Terra deadpanned. Ven blinked and then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"She doesn't seem the type to be allergic to flowers...what kind did you get her?"

"...Amaryllis," Terra told him, sighing before he explained what happened. He had half a dozen red and white amaryllis flowers in his hands as he waited for Aqua to come out of class. She was always the last to leave, but the moment she stepped out of the door her eyes zeroed in on the flowers. She quickly backed away, covering her nose. Terra for the most part was stunned. He was exceptionally hygienic!

"Aqua?" he asked, only for her to put a hand in front of him in a 'stop' fashion.

"Don't come close. I'm sorry, but I'm really allergic to those flowers," she explained. Aqua quickly apologized again, telling him she would see him later before running away in the opposite direction.

"...Do you even know what Amaryllis means?"

"No. Does that matter?"

Ven groaned and pressed his palm to his forehead. "Tragic love."

Terra raised his head slightly to stare at the blond-haired boy. "How exactly would you _know_ that?"

Ven shrugged, putting his hands behind him so he could lean against them. "I hear things."

Terra opted to say nothing, preferring to look over the water and ponder his next move. There had to be a way to get Aqua to go out with him—just the two of them with no one else—and have her understand that he _liked_ her. Thus far his only plan was locking her up in a room and telling her there...using diagrams. Finally Ven piped up again.

"Why not try serenading her? Girls like that." The moment those words slipped from Ven's lips, he was promptly shoved into the water.

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**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Ideas, part ii

**Writer's Corner:** Thanks for all the kind reviews! This installment of PPF is based on Aqua's POV from the last chapter. Hope you like it!

٭۞

ρ α ş τ — ρ ѓ ε ş ε η т — ғ υ т υ ѓ ε

_a Terra/Aqua collection_

by

_P h o e b e N o i r_

٭۞

_S t a g e 2_

"F ѓ ǒ м — Ң ε ѓ — Ё γ ε ş"

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Aqua was starting to worry about Terra, for over the course of the last week he had been acting pretty weird.

Everyday they had lunch together. It was an unspoken thing between them, a tradition they had developed since they were kids. They never had to ask the other if they _wanted_ to go to lunch. So of course his asking had caught her off guard. She told him "Sure," and thinking it wouldn't be _that_ big of a deal, brought Ven along. They were all good friends, after all. She brought her books along thinking while they were hanging out they could study. Though Terra didn't look outright mad at her for bringing the blond boy along, she could tell by his stoic look. The corners of his lips were tugged down five degrees more than normal.

Then he asked her if they could meet up on the sparring field. Again she had said yes, thinking they were going to practice. Other students caught wind of the session and quickly asked if they could join. The girls were especially amusing. Aqua had heard the gossip in passing about how hot Terra was and what they wouldn't give if they could be alone with him. Now they saw their chance with the sparring session. Aqua quickly turned those fan-girls down, picking two freshmen girls who weren't obsessed with him…yet.

When she arrived at the sparring session with a group behind her, Aqua thought Terra might kill her. He clenched his keyblade tightly, but assured her he wasn't mad. He even said it with a smile on his face-a clear warning he _was_ upset. He only ever smiled when he'd had a good fight, or when he was about to obliterate a crowd of enemies. The latter was proven true as he began to cast one Firaga spell after another, hurling them at the poor underclassmen she'd brought with her. She didn't know until that day how much of a pyromaniac Terra really was.

Then, earlier today, he'd shown up with a bunch of flowers in his hands. At first she'd thought they were for someone else and that made her heart clench. She liked her friend, but she didn't know if he liked her back. The flowers in his hands were proof that he had affections for someone else. _And they were flowers I'm allergic to too..._ The moment she stepped out of the classroom her eyes started getting watery and her nose began to run. She had to pinch her nose and quickly run away, but she couldn't just do that, not to Terra. He'd think she was crying or something... So she politely and quickly informed him of her allergies and ran off.

Now she was going to find out what exactly was going on, or at least learn the name of her new rival.

When she found Terra he was sitting on the edge of the docks with a smirk on his face. He was looking down at the water when she approached him.

"Terra?" she asked, moving to sit beside him, not realizing Ven had been there just moments ago.

"Hm? Oh, Aqua," he greeted, his smirk fading away into a neutral expression.

"Hey...look, I wanted to talk to you about the past week..." she began, trying her best to be calm about the situation.

"What about?" he asked, looking confused.

"Well..." She wanted to bring up lunch and the sparring session, but quickly went to something else. "The flowers...I wanted to ask you about the flowers you had earlier and... to apologize."

Terra fell silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. He had to choose just the right words. "They were for a girl... I... can't seem to get her alone with me for more than a few seconds at a time," he explained, waiting for Aqua's reaction.

She blinked and looked away, trying to hide the fact that she might... be just a tiny bit jealous. She didn't stay silent for long though. She turned to look at him again with a small smile on her face. "Well, just ask her," she told him.

"Yeah, tried. Didn't work."

"Well, how did the flowers go?" Aqua's response was met with a groan. While she didn't want a new rival, she still wanted her friend to be happy so...

"Look. If you really want to go out with her, just sit her down, look at her straight in the eye, and say so. Be blunt if you have to," she told him firmly, locking eyes with him.

Terra was stunned. Maybe he should've gone to Aqua for advice. It would've made life a whole lot easier for him.

"Aqua—"

"Will you go out with me?" Aqua asked, cutting him off completely. Screw her rival—all was fair in love and war. Silence settled in. She studied Terra's face. He was completely shocked and speechless.

"Say yes!" A soft voice told Terra. It was Ven, who had recovered from his sudden dunking and managed to swim under the dock. He'd heard the whole thing. If Terra didn't act now he would lose his chance!

"…On one condition," Terra finally said, causing Aqua to blink. She raised an eyebrow at him and nodded her head.

"Which is—" She was quickly cut off as Terra kissed her sweetly.

"...No more flowers," he murmured, pulling back from the kiss. Smiling, Aqua agreed and moved to steal a kiss of her own.

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	4. Apron of Oppression

**Writer's Corner: **Hey guys! Sorry I haven't had time to write in a while, but here's a new segment of Past, present, Future!

٭۞

ρ α ş τ — ρ ѓ ε ş ε η т — ғ υ т υ ѓ ε

_a Terra/Aqua collection_

by

_P h o e b e N o i r_

٭۞

_S t a g e 3_

"Ά ρ ŕ ơ η — ơ ƒ — Ǿ ρ ρ ŕ ε ş ş ï ơ η"

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Terra stared at the application in front of him, wondering what in the world had possessed him to actually pick up the damn piece of paper last time they were at the mall. He was desperate for a job, but was he desperate enough to apply to one of the world's largest chains of over-franchised, over-priced and over-exaggerated coffee shops? He looked up from the application to see what Aqua was looking at.

She had been at the weapons shop, admiring the different styles of swords that hung on the wall, but now she'd wandered over to another store to gaze at something on display. Whatever she was looking at must have really captivated her if it was enough to draw her away from weaponry. Heaving out a sigh, he stuffed the application back into his pocket and walked over to her. She was staring down at a necklace was made out seashells bound together in the shape of a flower. Though in Terra's opinion, it looked more like a star than anything else.

"Like it?" he asked, causing Aqua to jump. She was startled that he'd managed to walk up behind her.

Aqua shook her head at her friend. "A little," she explained, "but I've got nothing to go with it and it's ridiculously priced..." Terra could see right through it. She liked it and was trying to cover it up. She always acted this way whenever her girly side was showing.

Terra decided to say nothing on the subject and redirected her toward their original goal: obtaining sea-salt ice cream at the mall.

A week later, he put in his application to Starbucks. Three days later, he had an interview over the phone and now, a day later, he was standing behind the counter, in a horrible green apron. Memorizing the recipes was easy; it was remembering those recipes and getting them done in the span of two minutes that was the hard part. On his first day off of training, Terra managed to get five orders wrong. On his second day, he was stuck behind the register, at the beck and call of customers. But Terra found that he loved the register more than anything else. The register was heaven compared to remembering which type of syrup to use for someone's extra-whip cream, non-fat, double espresso, iced mocha tall drink. _Why they name the damn small _tall_, I'll never know_, he griped.

Of course, working at Starbucks was a secret. He didn't want Aqua or Ven to find out he was working in hell. This job was just_ too_ lame. When either of them called to hang out, he had to make up an excuse. He used every single one he could think of, including telling them that he was "already late" to knitting class and that no, sorry, he was busy washing his hair—he almost thought the last excuse was a buyable one. Since he started working at Starbucks, he couldn't get the damn coffee smell off.

Finally fed up with their friend avoiding them, Ven and Aqua stalked Terra. They got out of class early and waited in the school parking lot, scanning the horizon for him. They spotted him as he got into his car and, as surreptitiously as possible, they followed. Minutes later, they were at the mall. Barely a foot in the door, Aqua got her sudden—but typical—craving for caramel frappuccino.

"Aqua we're gonna lose him!" Ven sighed. "Just put your Starbucks addiction on hold for two minutes—"

"Come on, Ven, it's not that far and it's in the same direction—" Aqua's sentence fell short as she watched Terra take out of his backpack… a green apron with the very familiar Starbucks logo. Ven fell silent as well.

"Well... mystery solved!" he said as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Think I could bribe him into giving me the employee discount?" Aqua mused to herself, completely missing Ven smacking his palm to his forehead.

With Terra's dark, dark secret exposed, Aqua and Ven decided to go into Starbucks to tease their friend. But what they intended to be a fun day for Terra turned out to be a bad one. There was a man in front of them in line, demanding that he either get a refund or a completely new drink.

"This loser over here royally messed my up drink. I wanted SKIM milk, not FAT FREE," he yelled at the manager, who was standing next to Terra. Aqua looked on, and she swore she saw Terra's left eye start to twitch.

"Sir, I made your drink perfectly fine," Terra began, trying to defend himself.

"No, you didn't. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. Does Starbucks hire any high school dropout with a fifth grade reading level now?" To emphasize his point, the black-haired man pointed to the milk containers. "Does he even know how to read a thermometer—"

"Sir, Sir! We'll make you another drink. Can I have your name please?" the manager asked. She saw the look on Terra's face and knew he was about to deck the guy.

"The name's Vanitas, and don't screw it up this time!" he barked, moving out of the line to the side to wait for his new drink. Unbeknownst to the manager, Terra had made the man's drink absolutely right. Vanitas was just being a douche and wanted a second drink free.

Aqua, though, saw right through the entire thing. She quietly told Ven that she was heading out to the bathroom. He raised an eyebrow at her and let her go. She was only gone for like five minutes before she returned, panting.

"…What did you do?" Ven asked.

"Nothing," she told him, and for emphasis she gave him an innocent smile.

She looked and saw Vanitas was still waiting for his drink. Once he got it, he snatched it and walked off carrying the old drink and the new one. Aqua's innocent smile turned into a smirk.

"Wait for it..." she murmured, moving up to the counter to Terra. He parted his lips to ask what she and Ven were doing here (and how they found him) when a loud piercing shriek cut him off.

"WHO KEYED MY SCOOTER?"

Everyone in the cafe turned their heads to the window that faced the parking lot. There was Vanitas, staring at his customized scooter, which now looked like it had been mauled by about ten thousand keys. He had dropped both drinks on the ground. Terra looked away from the sight to face Aqua.

"...You didn't..."

"Oh I _did_. Now, hit me with a frappuccino, Mister Barista!"

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**Please review and let me know what you think!**


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